Biomedical subjects

Xueyan Zhao

Publications and source records attributed to Xueyan Zhao.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

The effect of water on the microstructure of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate/TX-100/benzene ionic liquid microemulsions.

The ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([bmim][BF4]) forms nonaqueous microemulsions with benzene with the aid of nonionic surfactant TX-100. The phase diagram of the ternary system was prepared, and the microstructures of the microemulsion were recognized. On the basis of the phase diagram, a series of ionic liquid-in-oil (IL/O) microemulsions were chosen and characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), which shows a similar swelling behavior to typical water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsions. The existence of IL pools in the IL/O microemulsion was confirmed by UV/Vis spectroscopic analysis with CoCl2 and methylene blue (MB) as the absorption probes. A constant polarity of the IL pool is observed, even if small amounts of water are added to the microemulsion, thus suggesting that the water molecules are solubilized in the polar outer shell of the microemulsion, as confirmed by FTIR spectra. 1H NMR spectroscopic analysis shows that these water molecules interact with the electronegative oxygen atoms of the oxyethylene (OE) units of TX-100 through hydrogen-bonding interactions, and the electronegative oxygen atoms of the water molecules attract the electropositive imidazolium rings of [bmim][BF4]. Hence, the water molecules are like a glue that stick the IL and OE units more tightly together and thus make the microemulsion system more stable. Considering the unique solubilization behavior of added water molecules, the IL/O microemulsion system may be used as a medium to prepare porous or hollow nanomaterials by hydrolysis reactions.

Benzene↗

PubMed2006

IL-10 inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced CD40 gene expression through induction of suppressor of cytokine signaling-3.

Costimulation between T cells and APCs is required for adaptive immune responses. CD40, an important costimulatory molecule, is expressed on a variety of cell types, including macrophages and microglia. The aberrant expression of CD40 is implicated in diseases including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer's disease, and inhibition of CD40 signaling has beneficial effects in a number of animal models of autoimmune diseases. In this study, we discovered that IL-10, a cytokine with anti-inflammatory properties, inhibits LPS-induced CD40 gene expression. We previously demonstrated that LPS induction of CD40 in macrophages/microglia involves both NF-kappaB activation and LPS-induced production of IFN-beta, which subsequently activates STAT-1alpha. IL-10 inhibits LPS-induced IFN-beta gene expression and subsequent STAT-1alpha activation, but does not affect NF-kappaB activation. Our results also demonstrate that IL-10 inhibits LPS-induced recruitment of STAT-1alpha, RNA polymerase II, and the coactivators CREB binding protein and p300 to the CD40 promoter, as well as inhibiting permissive histone H3 acetylation (AcH3). IL-10 and LPS synergize to induce suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)-3 gene expression in macrophages and microglia. Ectopic expression of SOCS-3 attenuates LPS-induced STAT activation, and inhibits LPS-induced CD40 gene expression, comparable to that seen by IL-10. These results indicate that SOCS-3 plays an important role in the negative regulation of LPS-induced CD40 gene expression by IL-10.

Acetylation↗

PubMed2006

Structural studies of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate/TX-100/ p-xylene ionic liquid microemulsions.

The ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (bmimBF4) forms nonaqueous microemulsions with p-xylene, with the aid of the nonionic surfactant TX-100. The phase behavior of the ternary system is investigated, and three microregions of the microemulsions-ionic liquid-in-oil (IL/O), bicontinuous, and oil-in-ionic liquid (O/IL)-are identified by conductivity measurements, according to percolation theory. On the basis of a phase diagram, a series of IL/O microemulsions are chosen and characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The size of aggregates increases on increasing the amount of added polar component (bmimBF(4)), which is a similar phenomenon to that observed for typical water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsions, suggesting the formation of IL/O microemulsions. The microstructural characteristics of the microemulsions are investigated by FTIR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The results indicate that the interaction between the electronegative oxygen atoms of the oxyethylene (OE) units in TX-100 and the electropositive imidazolium ring may be the driving force for the solubilization of bmimBF4 into the core of the TX-100 aggregates. In addition, the micropolarity of the microemulsions is investigated by using methyl orange (MO) as a UV/Vis spectroscopic probe. A relatively constant polarity of the microemulsion droplets is obtained in the IL microemulsion. Finally, a plausible structure for the IL/O microemulsion is presented.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2006

An ordered generalised extreme value model with application to alcohol consumption in Australia.

An Ordered Generalised Extreme Value (OGEV) model by Small (1987) is proposed for application to ordered discrete choice data. Relative to conventional Ordered Probit/Logit (OP/OL) and Multinomial Logit (MNL) models, the OGEV model is flexible, is defined by random utility maximization, and allows for correlation across choices via unobservable individual characteristics according to locations of the choices in the ordering. The OGEV model is applied to unit record data from Australia to study the impacts of prices, income and demographic characteristics on levels of alcohol consumption. Model selection analysis suggests that OGEV is preferred to both OP and MNL for the application.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Inclusion complexes of beta-cyclodextrin with ionic liquid surfactants.

The three kinds of ionic liquid (IL) surfactants, 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (C(12)mimPF(6)), 1-tetradecyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (C(14)mimPF(6)), and 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (C(16)mimPF(6)), were used to form the inclusion complexes (ICs) with beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD). The surface tension measurements revealed that there were two kinds of inclusion formations, 1:1 and 1:2 (beta-CD/IL) stoichiometry for beta-CD-C(12)mimPF(6) and beta-CD-C(14)mimPF(6) ICs, and only 1:1 stoichiometry for beta-CD-C(16)mimPF(6) ICs. These inclusion compounds were further characterized by XRD, (13)C CP/MAS NMR, (1)H NMR, rotating frame nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (ROESY), and thermogravimetry (TGA). The results showed that these ICs were fine crystalline powder. The host-guest system presented a channel-type structure, and each glucose unit of beta-CD was in a similar environment. It was suggested that hydrophobicity played a crucial role in supporting the formation of ICs. The decomposition temperature of these ICs was lower than those of their precursors. Furthermore, the possible inclusion structures were also speculated. These inclusion behaviors are likely to be used to recover ILs in the process of their preparation.

Imidazoles↗

PubMed2005

LPS induces CD40 gene expression through the activation of NF-kappaB and STAT-1alpha in macrophages and microglia.

CD40 is expressed on various immune cells, including macrophages and microglia. Aberrant expression of CD40 is associated with autoimmune inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Interaction of Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) with the Gram-negative bacteria endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) results in the induction of an array of immune response genes. In this study, we describe that LPS is a strong inducer of CD40 expression in macrophages and microglia, which occurs at the transcriptional level and involves the activation of the transcription factors nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 1alpha (STAT-1alpha). LPS-induced CD40 expression involves the endogenous production of the cytokine interferon-beta (IFN-beta), which contributes to CD40 expression by the activation of STAT-1alpha. Blocking IFN-beta-induced activation of STAT-1alpha by IFN-beta-neutralizing antibody reduces LPS-induced CD40 gene expression. Furthermore, LPS induces acetylation and phosphorylation of histones H3 and H4 and the recruitment of NF-kappaB, STAT-1alpha, and RNA polymerase II on the CD40 promoter in vivo in a time-dependent manner, all events important for CD40 gene transcription. These results indicate that both LPS-induced NF-kappaB activation and endogenous production of IFN-beta that subsequently induces STAT-1alpha activation play critical roles in the transcriptional activation of the CD40 gene by LPS.

Active Transport, Cell Nucleus↗

PubMed2005

Percolation of the phd repressor-operator interface.

Transcription of the P1 plasmid addiction operon, a prototypical toxin-antitoxin system, is negatively autoregulated by the products of the operon. The Phd repressor-antitoxin protein binds to 8-bp palindromic Phd-binding sites in the promoter region and thereby represses transcription. The toxin, Doc, mediates cooperative interactions between adjacent Phd-binding sites and thereby enhances repression. Here, we describe a homologous operon from Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium which has the same pattern of regulation but an altered repressor-operator specificity. This difference in specificity maps to the seventh amino acid of the repressor and to the symmetric first and eighth positions of the corresponding palindromic repressor-binding sites. Thus, the repressor-operator interface has coevolved so as to retain the interaction while altering the specificity. Within an alignment of homologous repressors, the seventh amino acid of the repressor is highly variable, indicating that evolutionary changes in repressor specificity may be common in this protein family. We suggest that the robust properties of the negative feedback loop, the fuzzy recognition in the operator-repressor interface, and the duplication and divergence of the repressor-binding sites have facilitated the speciation of this repressor-operator interface. These three features may allow the repressor-operator system to percolate within a nearly neutral network of single-step mutations without the necessity of invoking simultaneous mutations, low-fitness intermediates, or other improbable or rate-limiting mechanisms.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2004

Brg-1 is required for maximal transcription of the human matrix metalloproteinase-2 gene.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc-dependent endopeptidases whose aberrant expression are correlated with tumor invasion and angiogenesis. The transcription factors Sp1, Sp3, and AP-2 are required for constitutive expression of MMP-2 in tumor cells; however, the regulatory mechanisms of MMP-2 expression are not well understood. We investigated the involvement of Brg-1, the ATPase subunit of the SWI/SNF complex, in human MMP-2 gene transcription. Reconstitution of Brg-1 enhances MMP-2 transcription in Brg-1-deficient SW-13 cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay demonstrates that Brg-1 is required for recruitment of Sp1, AP-2, and polymerase II to the MMP-2 promoter, whereas the binding of Sp3 to the MMP-2 promoter is decreased upon Brg-1 reconstitution. Furthermore, Sp1 interacts with Brg-1 in vivo. Restriction enzyme accessibility assays indicate that accessibility of the MMP-2 promoter region is not changed in the absence or presence of Brg-1. These results illustrate the connection between the SWI/SNF complex and optimal expression of MMP-2 and highlight the critical function of Brg-1 in regulating the recruitment of Sp1, Sp3, AP-2, and polymerase II to the MMP-2 promoter.

Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly↗